Hybrid Misunderstanding

STonoma · #1 (**permalink**) 07-15-2007, 08:19 PM

I bought a 2007 Highlander Hybrid two months ago. If I could get the battery to stay on for longer than two seconds, then I might be satisfied. I would like for the battery to at least run the car up to about 25 miles an hour. If I put the slightest pressure on the throttle the engine turns on. Is there anyway for the dealer to tune the Hybrid to force it to stay on battery longer?

STonoma · #2 (**permalink**) 07-15-2007, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by STonoma

I bought a 2007 Highlander Hybrid two months ago. If I could get the battery to stay on for longer than two seconds, then I might be satisfied. I would like for the battery to at least run the car up to about 25 miles an hour. If I put the slightest pressure on the throttle the engine turns on. Is there anyway for the dealer to tune the Hybrid to force it to stay on battery longer?

Its a 2006. I bought it in 2007.

mustang67408 · #3 (**permalink**) 07-17-2007, 12:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by STonoma

I bought a 2007 Highlander Hybrid two months ago. If I could get the battery to stay on for longer than two seconds, then I might be satisfied. I would like for the battery to at least run the car up to about 25 miles an hour. If I put the slightest pressure on the throttle the engine turns on. Is there anyway for the dealer to tune the Hybrid to force it to stay on battery longer?

No they can not.
If you were to unplug and disable the gas engine, the HV battery would run the car for about 60 seconds, then it starts to shut down all electrical components that are using electricity until it finally will not move. Total drive time about 90 seconds on battery alone.

LordTakuban · #4 (**permalink**) 07-23-2007, 10:32 AM

It seems as though it uses the gas engine way too much. My gas mileage (on my 2007) has been crap compared to what I've seen other's post. I get about 22.5mpg according to the display. Is that display off? Or is there some sort of economy mode that I'm not in?

I do run the AC all the time while in it and I have my tire pressure bumped up to 35psi. Maybe the display of when it's using battery isn't completely accurate, but I think it under-utilizes the battery too.

tom11743 · #5 (**permalink**) 07-31-2007, 06:43 PM

I've had my 2007 CHV for two weeks now and I have seen as high as 40 mpg on the Consumption Page, I do have the Nav option. I find that anticipating the traffic flow, ie, getting off the gas as soon as you see the light ahead change to red really improves the mileage. I think those who complain about their poor milage must be very heavy on the pedal.

Marazzito · #6 (**permalink**) 08-02-2007, 11:12 PM

We were getting about 26 in ours and we to run the AC all the time. We just put the Goodyear Fortera's with the Tripple Tread Technology on and hav noticed the mpgs dropped to about 25.

I will say the acceleration isn't what is giving you the low mpgs as much as you think it is. The key to getting good mpgs in the hybrids is coasting. If you see a red light 1/2 a mile ahead of you, let off the gas and coast, you can do the same thing on the freeway in traffic. The Highlander will actually hold pretty good speed while coasting and your mpgs go way up.

Heatwave · #7 (**permalink**) 08-06-2007, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by STonoma

I bought a 2007 Highlander Hybrid two months ago. If I could get the battery to stay on for longer than two seconds, then I might be satisfied. I would like for the battery to at least run the car up to about 25 miles an hour. If I put the slightest pressure on the throttle the engine turns on. Is there anyway for the dealer to tune the Hybrid to force it to stay on battery longer?

As others here have stated, the battery pack can't take much of a continuous, unrecharged, load. I sat in our '07 Hybrid Highlander while my wife went in a store over the weekend. I let the engine "idle" so the a/c would keep running and so I could see how long it would be before the "real engine" turned on. It was about 7 minutes. I watched the battery-charge symbol on the dash gradually diminish further and further ... then the engine cycled on.

After about 4000 miles, about half of it highway driving, the cumulative gas mileage is 26.2 mpg ... I never reset the mileage computer at fill-ups ... just gonna let it figger it out over the life of the vehicle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Update. Just completed a 2800 mile round trip to Boston to bring college grad home ... cumulative mileage was 26.9 mpg, running 70+ mph most of the way, 80+ mph a considerable portion of the way, and with a/c on at all times ... ambient air temps were as high as 106 across Tennessee. The car performed flawlessly and proved its mettle as a safe, comfortable, reasonably economical highway cruiser.

LifeTech · #8 (**permalink**) 09-11-2007, 12:34 PM

In response to extending electric/battery use only in low speed conditions, Toyota now offers an EV mode switch on the 2008 HL Hybrid, allowing some user control on Batter only propulsion.

The Prius has had this EV mode switch in Japan Only versions.

Some Prius owners have imported this OE EV switch KIT from Japan, however TOYOTA USA won't honor/warranty any battery related issues with this EV switch installed. Strange, but it may be because Toyota Japan does offers a different warranty on hybrids then we have here. Shorter timewise.

A Prius owner got caught with this dilema and was without his Prius for many months and the dealer and TMS finally agreed t do a main batt. replacement if the EV switch was Removed. The Main batt. from Japan took several months to get.

LT

blomberg · #9 (**permalink**) 07-16-2008, 10:20 AM

Now in 2008 and I have two highlander hybrids...because the Prius was too low and I got stuck on mud roads. These highlanders have an EV switch that only works if the engine is in a narrow temperature range. If I try to start (summer time) in EV mode a cold engine...cannot use EV mode...unavailable at this time. So have to run engine to warm it up, then can use EV. If after a drive, park, turn off, but then want to move car, EV mode is not available because engine is too hot. So what good is the EV mode? Sounds like a gimmick to me. I only wanted to move the vehicle a few feet without starting the engine or without waiting until engine cools off. Does anyone know how to get the EV computer reprogrammed so that the low and high temperature limits are wider to make use of the EV at anytime?
Dick

Veeber · #10 (**permalink**) 08-07-2009, 06:09 PM

Install a Scan Gauge to monitor all the parameters of your hybrid. Among other things it will show you the actual RPM, so you can tell when the gas engine is off. ( ScanGaugeII - Trip Computers + Digital Gauges + Scan Tool) I have mine mounted with velcro on top of the steering column. You have to crane your neck to see the odometer, but otherwise it is the perfect place. You will also discover that the engine rpm never goes to zero when the speed is above 42mph, even though the fuel flow may be zero (like going down hill). You will also see that the engine starts whenever you have the throttle above 2 bars on the KW gauge. In EV mode you can push a bit harder, but not much, and the EV mode always disengages at 25mph.

I use "econ" mode all the time and my overall mileage for 30K miles is 27.12 mpg. On my 2008 HiHy the on-board mileage readout is about 4% better than I get by calculating total miles/total gas used.